Anthropology Archive

Second Roman Invasion Bc

• American Pronunciation Guides for ESL Perfectionists
• Brand New Paleo Diet Cookbook With Over 370 Recipes
• Irish Genealogy And Irish Ancestry Resource Pack

The following year, 54 BC, Caesar however launched yet another invasion of Britain. This time he landed a force several times larger than his first expedition, including some 2,000 cavalry. He hoped to land his forces and march quickly into the heart of the Celtic territory and inflict a defeat upon the scattered tribes before they could unite into one army.

However, he chose his landing beaches poorly. To compound his problems, a storm forced him to spend ten days dragging all his ships onto the dry land to prevent them from being sunk, giving the Britons enough time to sound the alarm and to draw up their army under a leading tribal chief named Cassivellaunus.

Nonetheless, the overwhelming force which Caesar had drawn into Britain, defeated even the united Celts. The defeat caused the Celtic alliance to wither, and some significant tribes even went over to the Roman side, the most important being the Trinovantes of Essex, who had reason to disapprove of Cassivellaunus because he had, in an earlier skirmish, slain their chief.

Cassivellaunus went on the offensive, attacking a major Roman camp in Kent, but was defeated. Caesar's victories were not however complete. The early loss of time meant that winter was now approaching and he had still not achieved his outright conquest. Even worse, rebellion was brewing in Gaul across the Channel. He and Cassivellaunus then agreed to a peace whereby the Celts would pay an annual tribute to Rome and would safeguard Roman interests in Britain. Thus concluded, Caesar hurriedly left Britain to return to Rome and then back to Gaul, where he had to face Vercingetorix's uprising.

Romans landing on the British shore. In 55 BC, Julius Caesar and a Roman army landed in Britain, and was surprised to find stiff resistance from the Celts resident on that island. Great was his surprise when he also found that the Celts had chariots, and it was only after an inconclusive battle that a stalemate was reached which allowed Caesar to leave without conceding defeat. Caesar launched another invasion of Britain in the following year, and this time managed to subdue a larger number of Celts. Most of the country remained independent however for nearly another 90 years until 43AD when a renewed Roman offensive subdued virtually all of present day England.

Any thoughts Caesar may have had of a third invasion of Britain were shelved by the subsequent events which occupied his life - the suppression of the Gallic rebellion - the march on Rome in 50 BC -his assumption of power and his assassination a few short years later.